“I wasn’t in bed. I was on the couch.”
“Okay, smart ass. Back to the couch then.”
I murmur a string of playful obscenities as I make my way into the living room. Colton stays behind to pour me a glass of Gatorade and then comes to join me. I thank him and take a sip of the drink. It’s so much better than water when you feel so drained. An involuntary moan leaves my mouth at the taste of it and I notice the way Colton squirms in the seat next to me.
“Don’t get any ideas, Casanova.”
“Ideas? What ideas?” He mocks.
“I’m sick. There is no way in hell I’m going to get you sick too. You should probably move over a seat.”
He gets up to move but only ends up closer. I glare at him even though it has no affect. “McKenna Rae, if you think something like a stomach bug is going to keep me away from you, you’re sadly mistaken.”
His arm wraps around my shoulder as he rearranges me to lay with my head in his lap. Then, he takes my blanket from earlier and drapes it over me before running his fingers through my hair. It’s everything I didn’t know I needed. The soothing feeling of his touch on my scalp almost makes me forget how gross I feel.
“What time is it? Shouldn’t you be at work?”
He grins. “Eh, my boss firmly believes in ditching all responsibilities to go take care of your sick girlfriend.”
Girlfriend. That’s a new thing he’s been saying lately and I must admit, I love the way it rolls off his tongue. The first time he did it, I choked on my drink and sputtered water everywhere. It was unexpected and caught me completely off guard. Judging by the way he smirked at my reaction, he knew exactly what he was doing and did it on purpose.
Calling Colton my boyfriend feels wrong, and not only because I’m engaged to someone else. It feels unnatural, like he’s meant to be so much more than that. The term boyfriend just isn’t enough. It lacks significance.
“If you had a boss, he would hate you.”
He laughs. “Okay, enough from you, Princess. Go back to sleep. You need your rest.”
I want to fight it, but the urge to doze off again is hard to resist with he way he’s massaging my head. The smell of his cologne relaxes me in a way nothing else does. I nuzzle my face into his shirt and let the need to sleep take over once again.
I run down the street, as fast as I can. After watching Parker’s heart shatter right in front of my eyes when I told him I no longer wanted to marry him, I need to get to Colton. I never meant for things to get so messy, or for anyone to get hurt, but when push came to shove, the choice was obvious. It’s always been obvious.
When I get to the familiar house, the door is already unlocked. I let myself in and go straight up the stairs, finding Colton laying with his hands behind his head. His abs are full on display and almost make me forget what I came here for in the first place. He narrows his eyes at me when he notices I’m standing there.
“What are you doing here?”
I pant and try to catch my breath. “I did it. I ended things with Parker.”
“What the hell did you do that for?”
“So that we can be together. So that we don’t have to hide anymore.”
He sits up and tilts his head to the side before breaking into a fit of hysterics. My chest starts to hurt when I realize what’s happening. He doesn’t even need to open his mouth for me to know what he’s going to say. Finally, when his laughter subsides, he looks at me with an expression full of pity.
“Mac, I’ve told you this before and I’ll say it again. In a choice between you and Maverick, I’m going to pick him. You’re great in bed but you’re not worth losing my best friend over.”
I shake my head as I listen to him repeat the same words he said to me the day my heart broke. “B-but you said… You said you wanted to fight for us.”
“I said whatever I had to.” He stands up and walks toward me, running his knuckle over my cheek once he’s close enough. “You and I are never going to be more than a good time. Haven’t you learned that by now?”
My body turns to leave his room, only to find Tatum standing there with a knowing look on her face. “You can’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Their laughter bellows through the house as I run down the stairs and out the front door. The tears in my eyes make it hard to see anything at all. By the grace of God, I manage to make it back to my place. I rush through the door and into the living room.
“Parker?! Parker!” I call out through the house. “I’m so sorry. I think I made a huge mistake.”
When I don’t find him anywhere downstairs, I go up to our bedroom only to find that everything of his is missing. His clothes are no longer hanging in the closet. His dresser is completely empty. The picture of him and I from the nightstand lies shattered on the floor. He’s gone and I’m left broken and alone, again.
I jolt awake, gasping for air. The pain in my chest is excruciating as I take in my surroundings. It was just a dream. It wasn’t real. I hear Colton’s voice in the kitchen, and right after, I hear Parker respond. Shit. He’s home?! As soon as I sit up, the two of them look over at me.
“Hey, you’re awake.” Colton smiles. “I was just telling Parker about how Mav asked me to come take care of you.”
Everything I felt in that dream is still rushing through me. It seemed so real. Hell, it could end up being real for all I know. Parker eyes me carefully as if he’s trying to read what I’m thinking and I know I need to play along.
“Yeah. Can you please tell him to stop being so overprotective?”
Colton snorts. “You know that’s never going to happen.”
That’s what I’m afraid of.
When Parker comes over to hug me hello, Colton shifts uncomfortably. “Well, now that he’s home, I’m going to get going.”
“Are you sure?” Parker responds for me. “You’re welcome to stay for dinner.”
If I didn’t know Colton as well as I do, I’d miss the pain in his eyes. “No, that’s okay. I’ve got some work to catch up on, but thank you anyway.”
“I’ll walk you out.” I offer.
The two men say goodbye and Colton follows me over to the door. We both step outside and I close it behind me, making sure Parker can’t hear us.
“Thank you for coming over. You really didn’t have to do that.”
He grins and all of the emotions I can see on his face are so overwhelming they almost knock the wind out of me. “There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you, McKenna. Never think otherwise.”
With a soft kiss on my forehead, he walks down the steps and gets in his car. I watch as he drives away, trying to rid my mind of the nightmare I just had. It only took a few weeks, and now I’m right back to where I was four years ago – hopelessly in love with Colton Brooks.
I really hope this time is different.
16
COLTON
The sun beams down and heats my skin while music echoes through Maverick’s backyard. McKenna and I stand on opposite sides of a ping-pong table, shooting balls into the plastic cups. Ivy is beside her giving Roman what I’m guessing is supposed to be an intimidating look. We’ve been at this all afternoon. Rome and I are yet to lose one game, but they’re giving us a run for our money.
“Had I known you were this good at beer pong, I may have reconsidered my partner.” I tell McKenna as she sinks another shot.
She shrugs. “There’s plenty you don’t know about me, Brooks. I’m full of surprises.”
“I’m sure you are, Princess.” I chuckle.
As if she knows my every weakness, she pulls off her tank top and tosses it onto the chair behind her, leaving her in shorts and a bikini top. I swallow hard and try to focus but it’s no use. The shot goes wide, missing the table entirely and causing Roman to laugh.
“You don’t play fair.”
She smirks. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I don’t miss the way she glances at Rome and back at me in a silent w
arning to play it cool. A part of me acknowledges I should tell her that he already knows, but I don’t want to scare her away. To her, it’s bad enough that Ivy and Tatum know what’s going on between us. The way she sees it is the fewer, the better.
As McKenna goes to take her shot, I pull my own shirt over my head. My bathing suit hangs low on my hips but I don’t bother fixing it. She chokes on her own saliva as her eyes gaze over my torso. Two can play this game.
“Take your shot, Princess.”
A low groan escapes from the back of her throat and she tries to focus. Just as she’s aiming the ball, I raise my arms above my head and stretch, making sure to flex in the process. She throws the ball so hard it hits Roman in the stomach. She glares at me, causing me to flash her a cocky grin in response.
McKenna may be completely distracted by me, but Ivy isn’t. She tosses the ball straight into the cup, tying the game up with one left for both sides. Roman goes first for our team. The ball bounces off the rim and onto the ground. I do my best to ignore McKenna as I focus on lining up my shot. I can see her moving in my peripheral vision so I close my eyes and let the ball leave my fingertips.
“Shit.” Ivy whines and I know I made it.
It’s McKenna’s turn. As she’s dunking the ball in the water cup to clean it off, I walk towards her. She puts her hands up and takes a step back.
“Stay on your side of the table, cheater.”
Laughter bubbles out of my mouth as I slip past her and go to the cooler to grab another beer. Just as I’m coming back, I slide myself against her backside and place my lips near her ear – careful to watch for Maverick.
“If you win, I’ll let you tie me up.”
She whimpers loud enough for only me to hear and her teeth sink into her bottom lip. I skate my hand against her lower back as I return to my spot. Her eyes meet mine. She raises one brow and doesn’t look away while she shoots the ball. It’s a perfect shot and I’d be a damn liar if I said I wasn’t impressed as hell. She’s so fucking sexy, it’s intoxicating.
The game goes into overtime and it’s the worst thing that could have happened for Roman and I. After we each miss our first shot, McKenna and Ivy both make theirs, sending the balls back to them. McKenna licks her lips as flicks the ball across the table and straight into the cup. My jaw drops and she winks. I don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know exactly what’s going through her mind. Still, this isn’t over.
Roman and I each make our shot, leaving only one cup left to send the game into double overtime. Rome goes first but misses by a hair. Just as I’m about to go, McKenna takes her sunglasses off her head and puts one of the temples into her mouth, sucking on it just enough to make my cock twitch. Before the ball even leaves my fingers, I know I’m completely screwed. She has me right where she wants me.
Sure enough, I miss the shot and they take the win. McKenna and Ivy hug in celebration. Roman turns to me and chuckles. He places his hand on my shoulder as he goes to walk past me.
“You’re so whipped. You know that, right?”
My eyes don’t leave McKenna, seeing the bright smile on her face as she laughs with Ivy. “I think I’m okay with that.”
Maverick comes back from getting more beer and calls for my help bringing it in from the car, effectively pulling my attention away from his sister. I give her one last look before disappearing into the house.
I’M STANDING WITH MAVERICK and Roman, listening to them discuss the new renovations Mav is planning at his office. I toss my opinion out there every few minutes, but I’m focused on McKenna. She seemed fine up until about twenty minutes ago when she started to look pale. Ivy is next to her but it’s driving me insane that I can’t be. All I want right now is to take her into my arms and make sure she’s okay.
After she came down with that stomach bug, she seemed fine no more than 24 hours later. Still, the way she’s looking right now makes me wonder if she got better at all. McKenna is a very stubborn person. If she doesn’t want to be sick, she will convince herself she’s not and make everyone else believe it too.
“What do you think, Colton?” Maverick asks.
“Huh?”
“Floor to ceiling windows or a more secluded looking office?”
Just like that, I’m wrapped back up in work as I explain to Maverick that while yes, a wall of windows makes him look like a big shot, it doesn’t do much when his view is of the building next door and he’s only three stories off the ground. He nods along as if he’s listening, but I know better. When he his mind is made up about something, there’s no changing it – opinion of a top notch architect be damned.
“Holy shit! Are you pregnant?!”
The sound of Ivy’s voice causes every one of us to freeze. My eyes meet McKenna’s and widen drastically as she slaps a hand over her best friend’s mouth. The entire world seems to stop spinning and I’m floating in an inescapable limbo. Pregnant? Is she pregnant?!
“Well damn, who knew Parker had it in him to knock her up before the wedding.” Roman quips, causing Maverick to punch him in the arm. “Ow, bro.”
“Bro, that’s my baby sister.”
The small spat between them made me look away from McKenna, and when I look back, she’s gone. Maverick and Roman are going back and forth about how Mac is only three years younger than us and engaged. Obviously, Maverick doesn’t care to hear it. McKenna could be eight or eighty-two – she’ll always be a little girl in his eyes.
I stand in complete agony for a few minutes, knowing I can’t walk away from Maverick right now without looking suspicious. Finally, I see Tatum come out from the house and walk towards me. The expression on her face tells me this isn’t a drill, and Mac being pregnant is a serious possibility.
“What the hell is going on?” She whispers, careful not to let Maverick hear us.
I shake my head. “I don’t know, but keep him distracted while I go find out, please.”
She nods and I waste no time before heading inside. As soon as I step into the kitchen, McKenna and Ivy look up at me from the other side of the island. Ivy has a hand on McKenna’s back, rubbing it soothingly as Mac looks like she’s about to have a mental break down.
“How much have you had to drink?” I ask Ivy, making sure to keep my expression neutral for McKenna’s sake.
“Just what I drank during beer pong, but that was a couple of hours ago.”
Grabbing my keys and wallet off the counter, I walk over and hand them to her. “Good. Go to the store and get a test. Come straight back here and don’t let Maverick see you when you do.”
She nods and after McKenna silently tells her it’s okay to go, she heads out the front door.
My head is reeling as I grip the edge of the island for support. Being as she’s on birth control, I know this isn’t something that either of us planned. Sure, we could’ve been more careful but I didn’t think we needed to be. Apparently, I was wrong. So very fucking wrong.
It’s not that I’m mad at the possibility that McKenna could be pregnant. Hell, the thought of my baby growing inside of her makes me feel even more possessive than I already do. It’s the idea that it might not be my baby that has me on the brink of insanity. I just got her back. Being pregnant with Parker’s kid would send her running right into his arms and I wouldn’t stand a chance.
“I’m sorry.” A very faint whisper comes from next to me.
I look over to find tears streaming down McKenna’s face. Every feeling I have about the current situation dissipates and the only thing I can focus on is her. I walk around the counter and pull her into my arms. All the emotions she was trying to hold back come pouring out at once.
“It’s okay.” I murmur into her hair, placing a kiss on her head.
“It’s not.” She sobs. “What are we going to do?”
“Well, have you taken a test yet?” She shakes her head. “Then we wait for Ivy to get back and we go from there.”
“You’re not mad?”
I back up just s
lightly and look down at her. “Mad? Why would I be mad?”
“Because we just got started and we’re still trying to figure this out. Being pregnant would throw a major wrench in things.”
“I know, but it’s not like you planned this. Accidents happen.”
She snorts. “Pretty big accident.”
“Hey, an accident is what brought me to you.”
I’m sitting on my couch, watching cartoons on TV while I drown out the sound of my baby sister, Avery, crying. She’s only one and when she’s sick, she screams – a lot. My parents are frustrated and as much I want to help, there isn’t really anything I can do. I’m only ten.
A loud bang sounds from upstairs and is very quickly followed by an ear-piercing scream. My mom starts to panic and I can hear my dad rushing into the room to find out what happened.
“Sh-She fell.” My mother cries. “I dozed off for a second and she fell off the changing table. I think she hit her head.”
“Oh god. Okay, we need to take her to the emergency room.”
I can hear them coming down the stairs and I stand up to see what all the commotion is about. My dad gives me a sad smile, trying to assure me everything is okay, but I can see the worry in his eyes. When my mom sees me, she cringes.
“We can’t bring Colton to the hospital. He just got over the flu.”
My dad sighs. “Well, what else are we going to do? My parents are at least an hour away and yours are on a cruise.”
Trying to help, I offer to stay home alone but they both shake their heads. Then I get an idea. “I can go to Maverick’s house.”
Maverick Taylor is a kid in my class. We met a couple months ago when I moved here and if I had to choose someone as my best friend, it would be him. We’ve hung out a couple times after school but only at the park.
I go over to my backpack and pull out the piece of paper where he wrote down his phone number. It’s smudged and crumpled but you can still read it. I walk over to my dad and hand it to him. He smiles and pats me on the shoulder before walking away to make the call.
Returning to Rockport: A Brother's Best Friend Romance Page 17